Archery and the Human Condition offers unique and insightful exploration of cultural and psychological constructions of the bow as a metaphor for the human condition. In this innovative and far-reaching analysis, Matthew P. Meyer invokes and illuminates the work of Heraclitus, Nietzsche, Lacan and several eastern philosophical and religious thinkers, weaving many historical threads into a seamless narrative.

Carol Poster, York University, retired

Archery and the Human Condition is an engagingly eclectic, original, and inspiring survey of the symbolism of archery in relation to the human condition –a symbol that, as Matthew Meyer demonstrates, transcends cultures and spans millennia. Meyer displays deep knowledge of the authors and texts he draws upon, from Heraclitus through to Nietzsche. Crucially, he also has a sure grasp of the psychoanalytic theory that underpins much of his discussion. This is far from a jargon-laced analysis, however. Meyer is unafraid to build outwards from the conceptual to a more affirmative theory of psychic health. Concerns shared by figures as diverse as Aristotle and the Buddhist archer Awa Kenzo suggest how we might learn to manage the tension that defines us as humans.

Oliver Harris, author of Lacan's Return to Antiquity